Tool bar hitching clamp



Sept. 10, 1957 c. w. ASHLEY 2,895,877

TOOL BAR HITCHING CLAMP Filed June 12, 195.5

\l k3 X 5 INVENTOR. CECIL h. ASHLEY" ATTORNEY United States Patent TOOL BAR HITCHING CLAMP Cecil W. Ashley, El Centro, Calif.

Application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,284

2 Claims. (Cl. 287-54) My invention relates to tool bar hitching clamps, more particularly to a clamp for quickly and adjustably clamping a tool shank, such as a 'disc, plow, side knife, planter shoe and so forth with the various conventional tractor tool bars of various types, and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a clamp of this class in which the clamp is yieldably held in position to facilitate the adjustment of various tool shanks with the tractor tool bar.

Second, to provide a clamp of this class which is applicable to various types of tractor tool bars and tool shanks.

Third, to provide a clamp of this class which provides for quick, easy and rigid connection of the tool with the tractor tool bar.

Fourth, to provide a clamp of this class in which all of the parts are fastened together and only require adjustment for rigid connection, and

Fifth, to provide a clamp of this class which is very simple and economical of construction, easy to position and adjust, eficient, durable and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application in which:

Figure l is a side, elevational view showing portions broken away to facilitate the illustration and shown by dash line, a tool shank portion and a tractor tool bar portion, and showing them in clamped relation as a tool clamp. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1 showing portions fragmentarily to facilitate the illustration, and Fig. 3 is a sectional View along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The upper main supporting clamp member 1, the lower main supporting clamp member 2, upright main supporting clamp member 3, clamping block 4, guide keys 5 and 6, tapered, coil compression spring 7, and clamp bolt 8, constitute the principal parts of my tool bar hitching clamp.

The upper member 1, lower member 2 and upright member 3, form a U-shaped clamp supporting frame.

These members 1 and 2 are both provided with circular holes 2a near their extended ends, which holes are provided with notched portions 2b and which are adapted to engage the round surface of a round bar or shank T shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings of a tool shank, this hole 2a is also extended at its forward side with a partial rectangular slotted portion 2d which is adapted to receive the forward portion of a rectangular tool shank shown by dash lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, designated R.

HQQ

Reciprocably mounted between the members 1 and 2 with a sliding fit with said members is the clamping block 4, which is provided on'its opposite side edges with grooves 4a which are arranged for a sliding fit on the guide keys 5 and 6 which are secured on the inner sides of the members 1 and 2, respectively, and form guides for the member 4 in its reciprocal movement. This block 4 is provided in its one side with a substantially V- shaped portion arranged to fit the corner portion of a square in cross section tractor tool bar shown by dash line in Fig. 1 of the drawing and designated TB. This V-shaped portion of the clamping block 4 is provided with grooved portions 4b, at its opposite sides which are adapted to engage the two sides of the tractor tool bar TB and form serrated teeth for engaging the surfaces thereof. It is obvious however, that a round tractor tool bar could be used and engaged by these teeth 4b. It is also obvious that the square bar may be positioned with one of its fiat sides positioned facing the clamping block 4, in which case its corners would enter these notches 4b at two of its corners and prevent the clamp from turning relatively to the tractor tool bar when clamped in position. This member 4 is provided on the side opposite from the l-portion with a circular boss 4c and this boss 40 is provided with a central hole 4d which extends to the apex of the V-portion of said clamping block 4. Interposed between the upright portion 3 and the clamping block 4 with its small end encircling the boss 40 is a tapered coil compression spring 7, with its larger end resting against the upright member 3. It being noted this spring is so constructed and arranged that it will compress into a very small space, substantially the thickness of the wire of which the spring is made. This upright member 3 is screw threaded at 3a, arranged to receive the threads of the clamp bolt 8 which is screw threaded therein and on its inner end is provided with an extended reduced central portion 8a which is adapted to enter the hole 4d for holding the end of the bolt in certain relation with the boss 40 on the member 4 while the bolt 8 is being tightened for clamping the clamp block 4 against the tractor tool bar, which tractor tool bar engages the tool shank T, thus rigidly clamping the members T and TB together and preventing their shifting, either longitudinally relatively with the clamp or torsionally therewith, thus providing secured adjustment between the tool and the tractor tool bar.

On the inner sides of the members 1 and 2 are provided stop members 9 which prevent the block 4- from being pressed out too far or coming out too far when there is no tool shank or tractor tool bar positioned in the clamp.

The operation of my tool bar hitching clamp is substantially as follows: The members of the tool bar hitching clamp are in their assembled relation substantially as shown in Fig. l of the drawings except that the bolt 8 is further withdrawn, so that the compression spring 7 is further compressed. When used the clamp U-member formed by the members 1, 2 and 3 is placed over the tractor tool bar at its open side and pressed into the V-portion of the clamping block 4 compressing the spring 7 suificiently to permit the tool shank T to be positioned in the holes in the members 1 and 2 and the compression of the spring holds them in fixed relation with each other so that the shank member T may be easily adjusted upwardly and downwardly with relation to the clamp and the clamp shifted horizontally on the tractor tool bar TB to the desired position for operation after which the bolt 8 is tightened forcing the members T and TB rigidly together at the same time forcing the teeth 2c into rigid engagement with the member T and the teeth 4b into rigid engagement with the member TB thus providing a rigid adjusted relation of the toolwith the tractor tool bar so that there is no shifting or turning of the member T with the members TB in their relation to each other.

tion, comprising a tool bar adapted to extend horizontally and having a square sectional-shape, a U-shaped clamp having parallel extending leg portions provided with openings in its ends for adjustably receiving said cultivator tool shank, portions of said openings being notched to frictionally engage the tool shank when the same is in a clamped position, a slide movably mounted between the legs of said U-shaped clamp having a notched surface for engaging said tool bar, yielding spring means engaging the end of said U-shaped clamp and said slide to urge the cultivator tool shank into contactual engage- 'ment with said tool bar to permit said U-shaped clamp to be adjusted horizontally and said tool shank to be adjusted vertically and a clamping screw threaded in a correspondingly threaded opening in the connecting'portion of said U-shaped clamp adapted to engage said slide and urge said tool into contactual engagement with said tool bar after the same have been arranged in a predetermined position.

2. A support for a cultivator tool having a shank portion, comprising a tool bar adapted to extend horizontally and having a square sectional shape, a U-shaped clamp having parallel extending leg portions provided 'with aligned openings in its ends for receiving said cul- V tivator tool shank, portions of said openings being notched to frictionally engage the tool shank when in a clamped position, a slide mounted between the legs of said U-shaped' clamp having a notched surface for engaging said tool bar, slide guides on said parallel leg portions arranged in opposed relation for being received in slideways in the edges of said slide, yielding spring means engaging the ends of said U-shaped clamp and said slide to urge the cultivator tool shank into contactual engagement with said tool bar to permit said U-shaped clamp to be adjusted horizontally on said tool bar and enable the shank of said cultivator tool to be adjusted temporarily, and a clamping screw threaded in a correspondingly threaded opening in the connecting portion of said U-shaped clamp adapted to engage said slide to firmly and frictionally clamp said tool shank to said tool bar, said clamping screw being provided on its end with a reduced pin portion adapted to be received in an opening in said slide to permit slight play between the slide and clamping screw whensaid screw is backed off a sufiicient distance to permit the yielding action of the spring to g frictionally hold the tool and clamp in position while making adjustments.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 540,093 Fitzgerald May 28, 1895 688,772 Eckard Dec. 10, 1901 1,252,638 Wiedman Ian. 8, 1918 1,261,723 Dufiy Apr. 2, 1918 2,042,086 Aubert May 26, 1936 2,149,760 Carlson Mar. 7, 1939 2,208,358 Chandler July 16, 1940 2,476,863 Hawes July 19, 1949 2,567,659 Valenta Sept. 11, 1951 

